Natural Beauty, Healthy Living, Geekery & Quirk.

Sunday, January 15, 2017 - Posted by The Lipgloss Librarian at 2:20 PM

New Year's resolution? Remember I have a blog!

In the past year I have moved to a new house, so all the empties I had been saving... well, those are long gone. We moved in October 1, so this post will cover empties from October 1 - December 31.

Rahua Body Shower Gel 9 oz. $30 - This was accidentally sent to me when buying something else. I generally use castille bar soap. This is very thick and when I started using it it was quite gritty, but after the first few uses that went away. I would not buy this again as I think the price is quite high for what it is, and I didn't like the smell at all.

Aleavia Cleanse Prebiotic Neutralizing Facial Cleanser and Makeup Remover 8 oz. $19.99 - Okay, this is probably the best facial cleanser I have ever used. Because it is 8 oz. and I generally only use cleanser once daily this bottle lasted me around a year. The packaging and name of the product seems to have changed so I am linking to what I assume I will purchase in the future. I was really impressed with this because it left my skin softer than anything else I have ever used, but also fully cleansed and removed makeup from my eyes. HG Cleanser!

Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Floral Toner Sensitive 6 oz. $12.95 - This is listed as $12.95 retail but sells for $11.01 on IHerb, which is where I get a lot of my products! I highly recommend this as is it very gentle, refreshing, and smells amazing. I have to use a spray bottle for any toner I use so I am currently reusing this bottle to house the next product I will discuss.

Madre Labs Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner 12. oz. $3.95 - This toner is currently being clearanced out at $3.95, and I highly recommend purchasing one at this price! This Rose Petal Toner is not quite as luxurious as the Andalou Naturals one, but it contains twice as much product for a fraction of the price. I have been using this toner (inside of the Andalou spray bottle) and still have almost half the bottle left. I know it doesn't really qualify as an empty but the actual bottle is empty and I was ready to get it out of my bathroom since I have already purchased another one and still have the unscented one from the same order. This was pretty much the best deal ever since I originally got it at the trial price of $1. The only unfortunate thing about purchasing Madre Labs products is they do tend to get clearanced out quickly, so if you find something you love it might go away.

Derma E Vitamin E Skin Oil 2 oz. $11.50 - This Vitamin E oil retails for $11.50 but you can purchase it on IHerb for $9.20. I use this to moisturize my scalp. I have tried a few other brands and always come back to the Derma E as it is the perfect consistency and very moisturizing.

Dove Advanced Care Sensitive 2.6 oz. $4.16 - So this is definitely not a natural product. After years of only using natural deodorants I broke down and tried a real antiperspirant again. The first tube went okay, but by the second I was developing skin sensitivity, so I'm trying to save this for days I really need it and sticking to natural deodorant when I can.

Honeybee Gardens Pink Grapefruit Body Wash 2 oz. - This was a Honeybee Gardens Buzz Box Exclusive that I used for travel. This item can't be purchased on it's own, but I will definitely reccomend Honeybee Gardens Buzz Boxes as I have discoved a lot of amazing products through them and they are affordable!

Meow Meow Tweet Face Cleanser 1 oz. - The full size version of this is 3.8 oz. and retails for $27. I didn't feel like this product worked particularly well for my skin. It's very gentle but I never felt like it was cleansing as well as I needed. The essential oil blend made it smell very woodsy which is a pleasant scent but not one I necessarily wanted in a face care product.

Oh My Gosh Nail Lacquer 022 Nude Champagne .2 oz. This polish was made in France. I regularly host nail painting nights and a friend of mine from Europe left this in my collection! I absolutely love the color and wore it several times. It's very thick and covers opaquely in one coat, but I still do two. I am assuming this brand would be difficult to acquire if you live in the United States.

Osmia Organics Facial Calibration Serum .45 oz. $50 I haven't subscribed to Petit Vour in over a year but I am still using up things from my old subscription! This serum retails for $50 and I am shocked to say that this .45 oz. bottle appears to be full size! I generally consider anything in the facial oil genre should be compared to argan oil, which I use frequently. I did not find this to be anywhere near as moisturizing as argan oil and it is significantly more expensive.

Madre Labs Madre Magic Skin Cream 2 oz. - This is one of those items obtained from IHerb that was sadly discontinued. I have extremely dry hands especially in the winter and I absolutely loved this skin cream, which is made of olive oil, beeswax, manuka honey, bee pollen extract and royal jelly. Luckily IHerb is now selling Sierra Bees Argan Balm which has a similar consistency and has been making my dry hands very happy.

Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask Strawberry 20 ml - My sister Megan who lives in South Korea brought back masks for me and our other sister J. Unfortunately this was a little tough on my skin so I haven't tried one lately but J uses these religiously!

Sierra Bees Organic Cocoa Butter Lip Balm .15 oz. $5.99 for 8. These balms are a great deal. They don't stay on lips for a very long time but at this price you can reapply frequently! They have a nice range of flavors and are very affordable.

The All Natural Face Vegan Lip Gloss Angel Wings .43 oz. 4.60. I was very sad when The All Natural Face discontinued their subscription box, but it was probably good for me as I have way too many products stocked up! I generally do not choose wand style lipgloss as I feel like it's a great way to harbor germs. This formula is very nice if you like a gloss that is not sticky.

Reviva Labs HypoAllergenic Mascara SuperLash Black .25 oz. $4.59 - This is hands down the most affordable natural mascara I have ever found. I have purchased this one several times and this is the first time the tube has broken on me, causing mascara to go everywhere. I will still buy it again in the future as it is a great deal, especially since I have to change my mascara every 6 weeks or so due to sensitive eyes.

Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Mascara Espresso .20 oz. $11.99 - I generally prefer black mascara to brown, but I can definitely reccomend the Honeybee Gardens mascara formula. I have used this one many times. It definitely performs better than the Reviva Labs and I can regularly get them in Honeybee Garden's Buzz Box.

Brija Cosmetics Pink Frosting& Brija Cosmetics The Girls Room Mini Jar $2.75 each - In my first Brija order I made the mistake of buying both of these colors in mini jars. I have already bought full sizes of both of these! They are both very unique shades of pink that I love and wear frequently.

Marie Veronique Organics Pacific Face Oil and MVO Face Oil - These were trial sizes I used up that I did not have much of an opinion on.

Josh Rosebrook Moisturizing Cleanser and Deep Hydrating Serum - These are samples from Integrity Botanicals. I loved the Moisturizng cleanser and I would definitely try that one in the future.

Please note this post contains affiliate links to IHerb and Amazon. This is my first time using affiliate links. As always I appreciate feedback and comments!

Trilogy Vital Moisturizing Cream 1.18 oz. - I really, really loved this moisturizer. I have been using argan oil as of late but I would definitely get this one again. It is very moisturizing and comfortable and smells amazing.

Blisoma Pure Sensitive Skin Soothing Complex .5 oz. - I know a lot of people really like this, but I didn't find it very moisturizing and it smells odd to me, sort of like raisins. This was manufactured with a dropper to pick up product which did not work. I would not repurchase this.

Zoya Armor Topcoat/UV Block .5 oz. - HG top coat. This will keep your polish on for 7 days if your nails are in good shape, and there are times I've gotten 10!

Silk Naturals Beach Bum Multi-Purpose Trio - This was a GWP from several years ago. It was for sale but does not appear to be on the site anymore. This was a very pretty trio but due to the size of the containers it was difficult to use as a blush, so I ended up removing the product and using it in dish. This works quite well as both blush in that context or in the container as eye shadow.

Silk Naturals Catch GWP - This is a beautiful shimmery champagne light pink shadow that I would definitely purchase if it were permanent, but this was a LE GWP color. Lucy Minerals Lucy Light Cream Foundation sample - Lucy foundation can be a bit drying but it looks gorgeous on. I use it more in warmer months. This color isn't quite right for me but pretty close and wearable. Lucy colors in general are a bit yellow on me as I am pretty red! Lucy is my HG for loose mineral foundation.

Silk Naturals Shirley Temple Organic Lipbalm .15 oz. - I love Silk Naturals balm formula. The Shirley Temple scent is quite strong. I probably wouldn't get it again as it isn't my favorite scent, but you really can't go wrong with any of the Silk Naturals lip balms!

Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Mascara Black Magic .2 oz. - I am preferring this one over the Herban Luxe lately as it provides more definition and is buildable. It is also reasonably priced which is important for me as I change mascaras often for safety!

Christopher Drummond Beauty Duo-Phase Hydrating Concealer Medium .3 oz. This concealer is actually my everyday foundation, so I go through quite a lot of it. I have had much to say about it in the past. Major, major HG. I still have some Christopher Drummond so I have not bought any since the rebranding to Hynt Beauty but I will be repurchasing soon.

Box Naturals Lavender Towelettes, 2 sample towelettes - These burned my eyes. I would not repurchase them. I'm not really sure what the purpose of these is as they have essential oils in them. They may work on other parts of the face but not the eyes.

Thursday, October 8, 2015 - Posted by The Lipgloss Librarian at 11:10 AM

I have a confession to make: I am a pack rat.

Since I started blogging my makeup purchases as opposed to just ferreting them away to my bathroom they often sit in boxes near the computer for way too long. This package of wonderful from Au Naturale came to me back in May, so this post has been a long time coming! I have been using these products for quite some time and loving them, so it is time for me to actually share them with you!

I have been a big fan of Au Naturale for several years. Fun fact: Au Naturale operates out of my father's hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin. That has no bearing on my opinion of the company, I just think it's cool.

What I do have an opinion about is that Au Naturale consistently produces some of the most pure cosmetics I have come across, and they continue to be ridiculously gorgeous. Last winter I reviewed some amazing holiday products from Au Naturale. Because I had a few problems with my lipstick palette they offered me some holiday credit. My order didn't didn't ship for some time due to the way the credit code worked, so Au Naturale was incredibly generous and sent me a bunch of full size products instead of the sample size products I had ordered! Major thank you to Ashley and Courtney of Au Naturale!

Organic Creme Highlighter Stick - This is a gorgeous cream highlight color that provides a gorgeous glowy highlight to your skin. I like to put this under my eyes to look more awake. I also use it to highlight my nose and cupid's bow. This is super pretty and a new staple. Au Naturale's colors are super pigmented so this is a much more pigmented highlighter than something like RMS Beauty Living Luminizer.

Organic Creme Bronzer Stick - My big worry with bronzer is always that it will be too dark and for some reason I feel like cream bronzer takes that worry away. This is a very beautiful shimmery copper bronzer that compliments the highlighter stick wonderfully. It is not too dark on my not-quite-light-not-quite-medium skintone and looks especially wonderful when I'm a bit tanned. I don't believe it contouring (seriously, I don't get it!) so I just use this anywhere the sun would naturally hit and it looks dewy and fabulous.

Sherbert Organic Creme Blusher Stick - This is an intensely pigmented peachy apricot cream blush shade in stick form. It has the glisten of a cream blush but no shimmer in this one. This is beautiful and goes quite nicely with my skin. A little goes a long way so this will probably last me forever!

Kissed Bronzer - This powder bronzer is my new favorite bronzer because it is so light and subtle. I feel like so many bronzers look great on darker skintones and look ridiculous on me. If you are fairly light you will love Kissed Bronzer! It is gorgeously pigmented by subtle with very subtle amounts of shimmer.

Luminous Bronzer - This is the bronzer for beach bunnies. It is a gorgeous shimmery rose gold shade. This is the one I reach for when I'm not feeling subtle! I also plan to use this a lot in the fall and winter for holiday sparkle!

Apricot Blusher - This powder blusher is very close to being the powder version of Sherbert Creme Blusher. It is a tad lighter and therefore a softer color, but very close. It is also very pigmented. Much like Kissed Bronzer Apricot has a tiny amount of very subtle shimmer.

Pink Lady Blusher - This powder blusher is a very light subtle lavender pink shade. It is sheer but buildable and incredibly wearable. This one also has very faint shimmer. It is best suited for light skintones.

Nectar Blusher - This powder blusher is a beautiful rose lavender shade with subtle iridescent purple sparkle. This one is also quite pigmented but as long as you are not heavy handed it will look good on pretty much anyone!

I wanted to be able to tell you favorites, but honestly, some colors will work better than others for me but I love all of them and am so grateful to Au Naturale for sending them to me! It is an amazing thing to be expecting sample sizes and to receive full sized products instead!

Left side swatches over Highlighter Stick. Top to Bottom: Lace, Tupelo, Chai, Ballet, Luna, Cedar.

The Natural Eye Collection features six eyeshadows and two brushes. It was released for Winter 2014. After loving the Bold Eye Collection I was excited to try another eye collection. For one thing, it meant having another All-Over Shadow Brush and Angle Liner Brush, which is wonderful because I use my All-Over Shadow Brush every day! Here are the six gorgeous neutral shades: Lace, Tupelo, Chai, Ballet, Luna, and Cedar.

Lace is a sparkly pearly champagne highlight shade.

Tupelo is an ultra shimmery rose gold shade. This one is a knockout!

Chai is a gold satin. No glitter in this one, but satin shimmer.

Ballet is an almost matte mauvey dark pink with the tiniest bit of shimmer.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - Posted by The Lipgloss Librarian at 5:48 PM

Method Limited Edition Sunset Beach Hand Wash 12 oz. - This is a stretch on "September". I'm not sure when it got used up but I think it was months ago and I found it and realized it had missed the last post. Oops. I continue to buy Method soaps despite the SLS I would like to be avoiding because they smell so good!

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Hand Soap Basil Scent 12.5 oz. - This is the one I did use up in September. I think these have cleaner ingredients than the Method soaps and I love the Basil scent. I also use a lot of household cleaning products from both of these brands.

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser with Clary Sage 6 oz. - I took the end of this camping and finished it off. I really wanted a cream cleanser for hydration. I was using a pretty drying pink clay cleanser before this one so I really noticed the difference. I got a good deal on this on Amazon and while I don't feel like I definitely need this one again I might get it again. This was a relatively gentle cleanser but I might find another one that is more hydrating.

Real Purity Roll-On Deodorant 1 oz. - Holy grail deodorant. I took 3 of these travel size deodorants to China and this is one of those. Over time my body does get used to the formula and I try something else for awhile but I always come back to this one!

Trader Joe's Anticavity Peppermint Toothpaste 6 oz. - I don't love the flavor of this but I keep buying it because I go to TJ's a lot! It's also inexpensive compared to many other natural toothpastes.

Pur Minerals Big Look Mascara with Argan Oil .12 oz. - I retired this one after about a month. I really liked the way this mascara looked on me after a second coat but after about a month the formula started to irritate me. I never know how long a mascara will work for me but I rarely can go a whole 3 months. I would probably try this one again at some point.

Silk Naturals Slick Stick Bramble - I absolutely adore this light wearable lavender gloss. It is beautiful and I would definitely repurchase it. This tube got pretty grainy and separated at this end as I hadn't worn it in awhile. Noticing this inspired me to search through my Silk Naturals colors and clean out the old ones!

Real Purity Pearl Mocha Powder Blush .2 oz. - I'm always kind of amazed when I actually finish a powder cosmetic product because it happens so rarely. This has been my favorite blush for so long. I have a lot of blush right now so I won't repurchase right away, but I will definitely get another in the future. This is the most perfect light pink color that goes with everything and can't be overdone.

Samples:

Gourmet Body Treats Natural Eye Shadow Gun Metal Gray - I've had this sample forever. It is a sparkly buildable gray. I have never tried anything else from this brand. I wouldn't feel the need to buy this as I have several sparkly grays. Like most dark mineral colors this got EVERYWHERE.

Giovanni Ultra-Sleek Conditioner .25 oz. Packet - I took this sample camping just to have a conditioner. It worked fine but I don't feel the need to buy this one.

Saturday, September 19, 2015 - Posted by The Lipgloss Librarian at 10:54 PM

Fall 2015

In the process of acquiring some new lip colors for fall I decided to clean through my makeup and toss some older Silk Naturals colors that were probably not great to use anymore. I hate throwing out makeup but I love knowing my makeup is safe and clean, so... Here's the new stuff! I got a few things from the Fall 2015 collection, a few last chance items, and a replacement for an item that didn't work.

Smoothie, Sinful, Ruby, Cherry Black

Smoothie Tinted Nourish Lip Conditioner - This is a subtle, shimmer-free, light pink lip gloss. It feels amazing and moisturizing and I absolutely adore it! I will definitely be getting more of the Lip Conditioner formula in the future!

Sinful Amplifying Lip Glaze - This was the GWP from my Fall order. It is a moderately opaque medium pink. It is very glossy without being sparkly. Quite pretty!

I only chose three colors from the Bare Necessities Smoky line, on account of I have "one or two" extraneous eye shadows so I figured I didn't need the whole palette! I ones I chose are gorgeous!

Laced Eye Color - This is a very light chalky pink highlight color. The shadow itself is matte but there is faint shimmer throughout. The formula is considered a cream satin.

Score Eye Color - I absolutely love this color! It is a beautiful light pink shimmery champagne color. It is super sparkly and beautiful and could easily be a one and done shade which is generally my favorite kind of color.

Cult Eye Color - Cult is one of those taupey greigey colors that I love and always gravitate to. It is much more complicated than "grey". It is a dark, moody, dirty metallic. Gorgeousness!Sleep in a Jar Light Peach Under Eye Concealer - This is part of the permanent collection but I decided it was time to try it as I always hear great things. I chose the color light peach to brighten my eyes. I do believe it helps brighten up the eye area and I am looking forward to using this!

Last Chance

Coy, Jackpot, Glacier, Hubbub, Hot Blooded, Merlot

Coy Slick Stick - This is the kind of gloss I buy just because it's on sale. This is a sheer, shimmerless, milky white gloss. There is just enough opacity to lighten lip color without making me look creepy. This was definitely a gamble but I'm glad I got it. The idea behind this is you use it to lighten up other lip colors, but I will probably wear it alone because I'm weird and like the idea of white lip gloss.

Jackpot Slick Stick - This is a shimmery sheer gloss with gold sparkle. I don't have a whole bunch to say about this other than that I love Slick Sticks and am glad I got this one.

Glacier Amplifying Lip Glaze - I've never tried the Amplifying Lip Glaze formula because I usually hate anything billed as a lip plumper. I tend to not like mint flavors. I don't love the flavor of this but it isn't overwhelmingly peppermint and there's nothing in it that's going to sting like many plumpers! It does tingle in a minty way but much less than other minty glosses I've had. I really, really wanted this weird turquoise glitter gloss because I love turquoise, so why wouldn't I? Like Coy it is unusual but not over the top.

The Village Slick Stick - This is actually a repurchase for me. This one is a sheer purple gloss with iridescent pink and purple sparkle. Definitely a fav.

Hubbub Slick Stick - Can you tell I like Slick Sticks? This is a glisteny sans sparkle Slick Stick in a light coral shade. Very pretty and very basic.

Hot Blooded Kisser Slicker - Oh yeah, I forgot about Kisser Slickers. Hot Blooded was on my wishlist for ages so now that it's making it's exit I finally got it. This is a medium opacity gloss, much more opaque than all the others discussed here. I'm going to go ahead and call this color "marsala".

Merlot Velvet Matte Lipstick - This is not part of the last chance sale. I bought this awhile ago and after not getting very far into my tube because it is super pigmented the tube stopped twisting up. Karen quickly sent me this replacement with an awesome GWP shadow!

Pretend, Hidden

Pretend Eye Color GWP - This eye color GWP came with my clearance lippies. It is a satiny soft gold which I absolutely love. Pinker but would go nicely with Jackpot.

Hidden Eye Color GWP - This eye color GWP came with my replacement Merlot Velvet Matte Lipstick. This is a completely matte dusty mauve eye color that would probably work out pretty well as a blush! Really unique and awesome, I am excited about this one!

What are you loving from the Silk Naturals 2015 Collection? Leave me a comment!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 - Posted by The Lipgloss Librarian at 10:04 PM

I've browsed the Pur Minerals website before but this was the first time I ever tried anything from the brand. I was drawn to this collection for a few reasons: The look of a "naked" palette, my desire to try liquid eyeliner for the first time in years, and my love of the color turquoise! It had absolutely nothing to do with the movie the man from U.N.C.L.E. that this collection is promoting and which I know nothing about. The entire Femme Fatale collection is $29.

The Secret Crush Palette is normally $32 so if you're going to buy it, but this collection instead! The palette features eight shadows with a net weight of .05 oz. each, which is pretty generous. The shadows come in a sturdy metal palette with a large mirror and a small eye shadow brush. I get really excited about natural palettes in general as they are so hard to find! The packaging on this one isn't the best. The mirror is quite nice. The palette's hinge only opens about 95 degrees and looks like it would break if I tried to open it more than that. The clasp closes nicely but sticks when I open the palette.

The palette features eight colors: Whisper, Lust, Passion, Muse, Admirer, Infatuation, Rendezvous, and Rumor. As you can see I labeled the color names in my palette as they are only labeled on the box. Whisper and Lust are the two highlight colors. I always appreciate the inclusion of highlight colors but these are both quite sheer and virtually imperceptible. They are both matte formula shadows although Whisper has a hint of sparkle. Passion, Muse, Admirer, and Infatuation are beautiful, creamy, metallic shadows that remind me of my old Urban Decay shadows! Rendevous and Rumor are both matte colors that I find difficult to work with.While I don't love this palette I like it enough that I will continue to use it regularly. For this price I think it is worth it to check it out for the metallic shadows! Possible ingredient concerns include Phenoxyethanol, Carmine, and Ferric Ferrocyanide. I was a little nervous about this but I have had no problem with the formulas in this palette.

I am definitely not a person who is good with liquid eyeliner so the Cat Eye Liquid Eyeliner in Black and Double Ego Dual-Ended Eyeliner in Queensland really appealed to me, especially since any kind of turquoise is my favorite eyeliner! I really like both of these. They are much easier to control than traditional liquid eyeliner and much more forgiving. That isn't to say it's impossible to make a mess, because it is. One morning I ended up with too much Cat Eye and smeared it with RMS Beauty Cream Eyeshdow and it looked pretty fantastic. I definitely recommend both of these for anyone else who might be nervous about liquid liner! Possible ingredient concerns include Phenoxyethanol, Carmine, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide, and dyes. Again, the true test for me is how my eyes react to it. I've been using these for about a week with no issues.

As you can see Cat Eye bleeds a bit.

This was the smudge test. The pencil side of Queensland didn't do so well but both liquids stuck around!

Big Look Extreme Mascara with Argan Oil is a miniature mascara although it is reasonably sized at .12 oz. I do find it to be comfortable and conditioning but not incredibly volumizing. The wand is plastic so the mascara does not clump on the wand. I think the miniature packaging is what makes this product somewhat difficult to apply so I would assume the full size would be easier, but this would be a good way to test out the mascara. Possible ingredient concern here is Phenoxyethanol, which at this point is a shock to no one!

Overall I am glad I purchased the Femme Fatale Collection. This is a great price point to try out a brand that is new to me. I would not recommend this collection for anyone trying to be strict about all natural ingredients as there are a few suspect ingredients in here.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015 - Posted by The Lipgloss Librarian at 7:29 PM

I didn't mean to be gone for months, but a lot of things have been going on, so this is going to be a huge empties post and probably I will still forget something!

May + June

Makeup

Real Purity Disguise System Duo Light .2 oz. - This has amazing clean ingredients. I prefer the shade Medium on me and when it's fresh its wonderful. The shelf life on this is not amazing, and I had this one a bit too long. I wouldn't purchase this shade again. I would get Medium for color but for the price point and how quickly i use it up I am less likely to purchase it again.

Lily Lolo New Black Vegan Mascara 7 ml - This is probably my new favorite natural mascara! I was very impressed with this formula and what it did for for my lashes without any irritation. I will definitely be purchasing this in the future although I currently have several mascaras to use first.

The All Natural Face Vegan Lip Gloss Frosted Peach .43 oz. - This has great clean ingredients but I hate wand style gloss because it feels so germy! As usual I used this a few weeks until it grossed me out. This is a beautiful sheer peach color with shimmer. Looks gorgeous, just hate the packaging!

Julep Nail Vernis America .27 oz. - This is completely beautiful in the bottle. Unfortunately it was absolutely awful on my nails. It was very gummy and applied very unevenly. In it's defense my bottle was a few years old. I took this off immediately and can't recommend it.

Real Purity Shrimp Lipstick sample - Real Purity lipstick is one of my favorite formulas. Shrimp is a beautiful orange-red with a bit of shimmer. This is definitely on my wish list!

Pure All Natural and Handmade Facial Soap French Pink Clay FS - I bought this locally in Columbia, SC at the Soda City Farmer's Market and was so excited about it! Unfortunately this was too harsh for my skin which was quite surprising as it is considered Pure's sensitive skin soap. Ingredients include olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, avocado butter, french pink clay, essential oil, and beeswax. David ended up finishing this soap without problems, so I'm going go assume there was just too much clay in it for my skin.

Winter Rose Soap Castile Soap Loaf 3 lb. - I really liked this soap quite a bit. My gold standard for castile soap is Hill's Natural Soap. This one was more moisturizing because Cathy sent me a message and asked if I wanted to add cocoa butter! I went back and forth between the two for a long time and they are both great. I would definitely order from Winter Rose Soap again!

Trader Joe's Shave Moisturizing Cream Shave Honey Mango 8 oz. - Next to a lot of things I use these aren't the cleanest ingredients, but I find them acceptable for a shaving cream. Also, this smells awesome. It's a unisex product and David uses it a lot too.

Trader Joe's Nourish Spray Sunscreen SPF 50 6 oz. - This is the one I buy over and over again! It's only $6 which is cheaper than regular spray sunscreen.

Banana Boat SunComfort Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ - This is what happens when you run out of sunscreen and don't have time to go to Trader Joe's. I think we actually went through 2 of these this summer. Then I bought more of the Nourish from TJ's...

Alba Pineapple Quench Lip Balm .15 oz. - Much like the coconut one this started off great but over time became grainy. It was still nice and quite moisturizing with very clean ingredients. I didn't love the packing as it twists at the top which makes it difficult to open. Would still buy again.

I try to stick to sensitive toothpaste but when I run out I always go back to Trader Joes!

July

I spent the month of July in Shijiazhuang Shi, Hebei, China (yes, I have to look up how to spell that every time!) I decided not to bring any makeup to China and only pack necessities. I will admit there were times I regretted that, but it wouldn't have been practical to wear makeup anyway as it would have melted off!

All I actually used up in China was a small Juice Beauty Moisturizer and a Real Purity travel size Roll-On Deodorant. I also took a full bottle of Josh Rosebrook Deep Nourishing Shampoo and the end of a bottle of Real Purity Moisturizing Hair Conditioner. Both were mostly finished when I accidentally left them in my dorm bathroom as I stayed in five different places during the course of the month!

August

So I came back from China, went back to work, and immediately sprained my ankle. It's still recovering and I'm feeling pretty silly walking around in a big clunky boot, but... I have my makeup back so that makes me feel more glamorous!

Acure Brightening Facial Scrub 1 oz. - This was a free sample from Whole Foods! This super dark scrub is very fine. At first I thought it was too harsh for my skin but I think it's actually just very... thorough. When I use it my skin feels ridiculously soft. I don't need to repurchase it as I have a lot of scrubs sitting around, but I could see myself getting it again in the future.

Silk Naturals Stark & Son Peanut Butter Matte Lip Balm .15 oz. - This lip balm is marketed to men because it has a somewhat matte finish. It really does have a peanut butter scent but more like roasted peanuts and not at all like sugary peanut butter. This is the balm that traveled all over China with me! I almost lost it on the airplane there. Close call.

Josh Rosebrook Deep Nourishing Shampoo 8 oz. - I could write a novel about this, but we'll start with this: The bottle you see here is my first bottle. I took a second bottle to China and there is a third in my shower right now. Full review coming soon!